Well, we are 7 days in.
We chose the curriculum My Father's World for our first year at home. I knew having organization and "a plan" would keep me underwhelmed. I do what the teachers manual says and supplement where I deem necessary.
The first 2 weeks focus on the creation story from Genesis, followed by 26 hands on, thematic units that explore the wonders of Gods creation. Each unit covers a letter of the alphabet and a biblical concept. There's a bit of informal math involved, also.
We chose to do 3 days of schooling a week instead of 5. It gives us 2 days to run errands, have play dates, or go to story time at the library. We will end up using MFW K for 2 years because of this, but I'm 100% ok with it since Levi is technically only pre K. Right now, our goal is to nurture a love for learning and playing. The last thing I want to do is push him too hard and have him hate school.
The creation intro was a bit different all around. We did it for 7 days straight and it was less intense than the core units appear to be. Basically, we read from the bible what God created each day and made a craft that went with it. We also practiced writing our numbers and had calendar time.
The first day, God made light & dark. Real quick I want to add - the MFW K group I joined on facebook along with pinterest have been incredible resources for us. There are so many fun and helpful ideas to make the most of this curriculum. Anyway, I had a snack for each day of creation and originally we were going to eat oreos for light & dark. However, because it was our first day of school we had a big plate of donuts ready and they happened to be light and dark, too. ;)
Day 2 God created the seas and the sky. There was A LOT of cutting involved in this intro. Levi really struggles in this area and gets very frustrated. We are still working on cutting a straight line, let alone maneuvering shapes and curves. I did most of the cutting while levi practiced on scrap paper. Then he did all of the gluing, painting, and coloring. This weekend I found a spring loaded scissors that's meant to help teach preschoolers to cut. Hoping it works!
This was a pinterest idea - sky jello! He was SUPER excited about it!
Each day we practiced writing a number. I would fill up one sheet for him to trace, and then he would free hand the second. He can trace all day every day, no problem. But as soon as he free hands everything is backwards. I mean everything. Michael has a bit of dyslexia but at this point, I'm not too worried. I know it's pretty common for little ones and I just want to encourage him to keep writing. I have a feeling it will all "click" with time.
Painting is his jam. I tried to incorporate it each day to keep him excited. I'm afraid I've created a monster. He's going to be disappointed now that we won't be doing as much art. LOL.
Day 3 God made flowers, trees, and grass. Hopefully you can tell this snack was supposed to resemble a palm tree. ;) The amazing thing about the themed snacks? Levi ate every bit of them. Foods he normally wouldn't have interest in, he ate. Happily.
Day 4 God made the sun, moon, and stars. I think this was our favorite day. Levi is all about space. So much so that he wanted to cut his sun all by himself. He ended up tearing most of it, but it sure turned out adorable! (We used his Jesus Storybook Bible for reference throughout the week. Pictured below.)
Day 5 God made all the fish and the birds...
Day 6 was special because dad was home and able to do school with Levi. They painted a big beard on Adam. Levi's animal requests were a peacock and giraffe. I was able to shower and work around the house while this was happening - what a treat!
Day 7 God rested. So we did, too! We ate pizza and watched a movie - all 3 of us! It was Levi's first time seeing the Fox & the Hound. Then we put up his art and did review. He was able to name what God created each day. We sang through this song together, also.
